Only 'major' EU countries to be in second iPhone rollout

Apple will unleash its iPhone into the European market during the fourth quarter of 2007. But, it seems not all European consumers will be granted access to the so-called must-have gadget this side of Christmas.

The handset, which launched in the US on 29 June, will initially appear in a few "major" European countries, but the company hasn’t named which countries these will be, leaving lusting customers to simply guess over when and where it will first appear.

Apple's iPhone sales strategy, with as yet unnamed European partners, will also be annouced later in the fourth quarter. However, Asia and those European countries not deemed “major” by it will not officially receive the handset until 2008 .

The long awaited European announcement was made by Apple’s CFO Peter Oppenheimer yesterday during a conference call to discuss its third quarter financial results.

Oppenheimer also stated that 270,000 iPhone handsets were sold over network provider AT&T and through Apple retail stores during its third quarter, despite the handset only being on sale for the last 30 hours of the quarter, ended 30 June.

The company expects great things off the back of the iPhone’s existing US sales, with Oppenheimer boldly proclaiming during the call that it hopes to sell its one millionth iPhone by the end of the handset's first full quarter sales period, ending 29 September, and its 10 millionth iPhone during 2008.

The brave sales projections were also mirrored by news that Apple will continue to build on the iPhone’s existing successes by building in new, as yet unspecified, software features and applications into the handset over time, at no extra charge to customers.